Teacher correction vs other strategies

When asking about various correction strategies, all informants favoured teacher correction. Teacher correction may present itself in the form of ready suggestions, but the teacher may choose to only indicate the errors to the students, for example by underlining the errors and let the students figure out the problem and make the corrections themselves:

(21) T1: well, I correct pretty often almost everything I can find - - - but then there are times that - - - that I for example only underline and then the student gets to - - - correct

It is important to note that favouring teacher correction does not suggest the students do not need to do anything with the corrective feedback they are given. T5 points out the following:

(22) T5: if the students have been writing texts, then we talk about grammar- related issues which are usually - - - usually there is something that a lot of them have had wrong, or if there have been difficulties, we’ll go through that together

Some of the informants had experimented with peer correction, but all of them found peer correction to be a sensitive, tricky subject. T2 explained that sometimes she lists some of the most common errors and writes them on the whiteboard. Although none of the students know whose errors they are, some students find it difficult to see their errors on the whiteboard and to hear them being discussed. This would suggest that showing their compositions and, thus, their errors to their peers, might be too much to ask. T5 shared T2’s view:

(23) T5: I haven’t, I haven’t dared do that, but I have done in such a way that like from some old - - - there have been some sentences as examples -

- - so I haven’t used any close examples [i.e. examples from the students that belong to the group, for instance]

T2 added the following to the list of reasons that shows peer correction might prove to become an issue:

(24) T2: they are not that good at giving feedback - - - independent on the age

T2 explained that some students may have the necessary skills to correct the grammatical errors in a classmate’s composition, but they do not necessarily know how to give feedback related to content. She also added that students may be afraid of making mistakes. To prevent making mistakes when correcting, they will turn to the teacher when unsure. When using the method of peer correction, T2 attempts to have students representing different skill levels in each group: she believes in mixing different skill levels in order for the students to be able to help each other.

T2 remembered having used self-correction as well. If a student tends to make the same mistakes multiple times, she sometimes asks the student to read the composition again before handing it in. As a result, some students may be able to spot the errors, or at least some of them, on their own.

Another informant, T3, uses mostly teacher correction. She explained that after she has given feedback on the compositions, there is sometimes an opportunity for the students to show or read their compositions to their peers in class. She has never used peer correction as the first stage in the corrective feedback process:

(25) T3: but no, I have not like, I have not done it in such a way that I would have given it [composition] without me checking it first

T3 also pointed out that even when the students are given the chance to read their composition to others, they usually do not want to do that.

T5 said she lets students comment on each other’s texts, but the entire process is based on asking questions and discussing the content rather than comparing or giving feedback on errors and possible improvements. T5 refers to it as peer feedback rather than peer correction.

None of the informants uses error codes (see section 2.2). Even though T2 has been advised by elder teachers to use error codes, she has not started using them. She believes the use of error codes to be too complex especially in lower secondary school. The less advanced students in particular would have great difficulty interpreting the codes, she believes. She also points out that she remembers having disliked the coding system already when she was in her school years: even then she did not find it a very beneficial system. She concludes:

(26) T2: I try to do in a way that is best for the students

She is open to new ideas, and if she gets told by her students that her approach does not work, she is willing to consider other feedback strategies. T5 believes in a functional approach: she is prepared to try new approaches if they benefit the learners.

The amount of feedback given is affected by the workload as well: sometimes one simply does not have enough time to give detailed feedback in writing, T2 explains. Despite the heavy workload, T2 has used the web interface Wilma to add feedback on assignments for the student and the guardian(s) to see.

The informants do not necessarily give numerical grades for student compositions. T3 said she uses a three-step grading scale: pass, good, and excellent. Another informant (T2) also said she tends to use a five-step grading scale in which the grade is given in words rather than numerical values. T2 also pointed out that the grade is not based on the number of errors: a composition that is an interesting read can get higher points than compositions that are error-free but simple in style:

(27) T2: one can get full points even if there are a few errors if it [the composition] otherwise is very - - - and that it’s an interesting read so that’s when it’s good

T2 wants to list some good things about the composition as well as those things in which there is room for improvement. She feels one should not list all of the problematic issues if there are too many as that may be discouraging to the student. Despite usually marking all errors, T2 does not deduct points for all error types: missing or abundant commas are examples of these kinds of errors.

T1 explains that she has not come up with any new ways of giving feedback, but she does think every now and then whether the current strategy is the best:

(28) T1: well no, no ways per se, but one does think every now and then whether it is the most useful way and - - - and like how much they learn from it when one knows that they don’t necessarily look at the compositions afterwards

Even though teacher correction was by far the most common strategy used by the informants, the interviews proved that other strategies had been experimented with as well.